Each With Their Own Plans

Inside the dark passage, Fang Mu stepped into the true Earth Prison after opening a stone wall.

The architectural structure of the Earth Prison was similar to the Mortal Character Prison.

Walking straight along a path paved with bluestone, Fang Mu discovered many empty cells within the Earth Prison.

Opening an empty cell, he found the smell inside to be very unpleasant.

Through his dark pupils, he could see clusters of black mist drifting and condensing in the air.

These were clearly residual Demonic Energy from demons, or some kind of poisonous or evil gases.

Fang Mu did not step into the cell; he didn't want to be contaminated by those gases.

After leaving the cell, he continued along the bluestone path.

Passing by over a dozen dungeons, Fang Mu heard a roar and a growl.

The sound resembled a tiger's roar and seemed very fierce, emanating from Dungeon Number Twenty-Six.

"Number Twenty-Six? Could it be holding a big tiger?" Fang Mu was somewhat suspicious but didn't open the door to check.

He sensed a powerful aura from within Dungeon Number Twenty-Six, so strong that even he felt a sense of dread.

The black stone walls of this Earth Prison were peculiar; from outside the stone walls, one could sense some of the aura within, but from inside, one couldn't sense the outside.

Walking through the entire Earth Prison, Fang Mu found that the demons imprisoned within were only a few, numbering less than ten.

At the end of the Earth Prison, there was a special-grade prison. It was unclear what demon was imprisoned there, as there was no sound coming from it.

Fang Mu strongly suspected that Huihai had come specifically for the special-grade dungeon in the Earth Prison.

Without rashly opening it, Fang Mu used his identity token to open Dungeon Number Thirty-Seven.

With a rumbling sound from the stone wall, the prison gate slowly opened on its own.

After entering the prison gate, Fang Mu discovered that the inner gates of this Earth Prison were numerous, but the identity token was used as the unified key.

After opening a total of nine inner gates, Fang Mu finally entered the spacious inner area of the Earth Prison.

Inside the dungeon, a withered Tree Demon was imprisoned. Its aura was almost nonexistent, and it was bound to a giant black stone with iron chains.

This Dungeon Number Thirty-Seven was the weakest demon Fang Mu had sensed and selected from the entire Earth Prison.

Slowly approaching the Tree Demon, Fang Mu looked at its humanoid form, its body covered in withered vines, with shriveled facial features.

With a flash of sword light, Fang Mu quietly drew his Golden Sword and severed the Tree Demon's body with a single strike.

"Roar!"

At the same time, the Tree Demon, which had been on the verge of death, suddenly opened its eyes, its scarlet pupils filled with madness.

Countless vines wrapped around Fang Mu, but he quickly retreated, swinging his long sword to cut them down one by one.

Amidst several unwilling roars and screams, the Tree Demon finally ceased to have any signs of life.

Without rashly approaching the Tree Demon, Fang Mu activated the Demon Refining Mirror to refine it.

As a golden light enveloped the Tree Demon and refined it into bloody water, countless scenes flashed through the Tree Demon's fragmented memories.

A small tree, battered by wind and rain, grew vigorously under the shelter and protection of a mother tree.

As the small tree gradually grew, one day a group of people came to chop trees, cutting it and its mother tree in half.

The mother tree transferred her last life essence to the small tree before withering and dying.

Unwilling to die, the small tree desperately rooted itself in the ground, absorbing the mother tree's life essence, and it survived.

Under its unyielding resentment, darkness enveloped it, and as a new dawn broke, the small tree gained power.

It transformed into a Tree Demon, no longer needing to rely on rooting itself in the ground to absorb moisture and nutrients for survival.

Through endless slaughter, the Tree Demon grew to love blood and lost its sense of self.

Its sole purpose for existence was to devour, suck blood, and destroy all living beings it could see.

Bloody massacres stained numerous villages and towns, eventually alerting the Demon Slaying Division, and it was besieged and captured by countless powerful individuals.

From the Tree Demon's memories, Fang Mu saw a man holding a sword descending from the sky. With a casual strike, he pierced the demon's heart and captured it.

The man with the sword was likely Qi Zhu's father, Ye Tian, the strongest expert in Qingzhu County, and also a top expert in the Innate Realm.

Demon Vine, the vines refined from the Tree Demon's main body, possessed the ability to bind, entangle, and paralyze, with toughness being its characteristic.

Advanced Essence Pill, obtained from refining the Tree Demon, could nourish meridians and improve cultivation.

Fang Mu snapped back to reality from the Tree Demon's fragmented memories, looking at the extremely soft vine and a pill that had appeared in his hand, and couldn't help but feel delighted.

After refining the Demon Vine and establishing blood recognition, Fang Mu tried controlling the vine and found that he could wield it as easily as his own arm.

The vine could not only change its size at will but could also be controlled by his thoughts to attack or instantly entangle a designated target.

After storing the Demon Vine in the Demon Refining Mirror, Fang Mu looked at the round pill in his hand, feeling that his sixth-grade cultivation was not secure enough.

His clone now possessed third-grade cultivation and strength, so his main body should also break through, at least to have the strength to protect himself when encountering danger.

The pill dissolved in his mouth, transforming into streams of pure Vital Energy that merged into the thin Vital Energy in his dantian, strengthening and purifying it.

Streams of pure Vital Energy gradually transformed into a sea of Vital Energy mist, filling Fang Mu's dantian.

As waves of powerful energy spread, Fang Mu's cultivation naturally broke through to the fifth rank of the Martial Realm.

However, the medicinal effects of the pure Vital Energy had not yet dissipated and were still continuously integrating into his dantian, seeming to intend to further break through his cultivation.

Fang Mu then channeled the remaining medicinal effects of the Vital Energy into his body, further strengthening and nourishing his physical form.

A cultivation of the fifth rank of the Martial Realm was enough for self-preservation; his strongest trump card was still his physical body.

Breaking through too much in cultivation would not only be detrimental but also attract unwanted attention and suspicion from many, making it not worth the risk.

After his physical body completely absorbed the remaining medicinal effects, Fang Mu felt the surge of power within him and couldn't help but practice a set of self-choreographed boxing techniques in the dungeon.

The wind from his punches whistled, strong and vigorous. Fang Mu believed that with one punch, even a third-rank realm expert wouldn't be able to withstand it.

He gathered the vines he had cut down earlier from the ground and bound them to the iron chains.

Fang Mu didn't plan to report the Tree Demon's death immediately. Since he was the only one in the Earth Prison, he could report it later.

After leaving the dungeon, Fang Mu didn't head to the special-grade dungeon but left directly.

Upon arriving at the seven-star dungeon of the Mortal Prison, he unexpectedly encountered Huihai and his clone.

"Amitabha! Envoy Fang, what a coincidence. I was just wandering around here and didn't expect to run into you."

"Coincidence my ass!"

Fang Mu cursed inwardly, knowing that the old schemer Huihai had been lurking in the shadows with ill intentions.

However, he remained composed and showed a slight smile, saying, "Indeed, it's a coincidence. May I ask, Master, what level have you purified to today?"

"I'm ashamed to say, but today I've only reached the third sector of the Earth Prison."

"Holy crap! That fast?" Hearing Huihai's words, Fang Mu couldn't help but inwardly exclaim.

"Master, it's getting late today, perhaps you should head back and rest!"

"I am indeed a bit tired. Actually, I was waiting here specifically for Envoy Fang."

As soon as Huihai finished speaking, Fang Mu became vigilant, wondering if this old fellow intended to make a move.

"Envoy, please don't misunderstand. I've found a good prospect for Buddhism and wanted to ask Envoy Fang for a favor, to bring him to the Earth Prison to learn."

"I heard that there is an old monk imprisoned in the Earth Prison. Although he has defected from Buddhism, his Buddhist cultivation is profound."

"If my disciple can be valued by him and receive some profound Buddhist teachings, he will benefit immensely."

"Master, aren't you afraid that this Demon Slayer Envoy will be deceived by that old monk and learn to betray his sect and path?"

"It's alright! I am here, and I will not let Yuan Fan fall into the demonic path. I hope Envoy Fang will grant my request!"

Looking at Huihai's extremely sincere attitude, Fang Mu couldn't help but frown.

He deliberately probed, asking, "Master, why don't you enter the Earth Prison together? That way, you can protect this brother Yuan Fan."

"Thank you for your kind offer, Envoy Fang. The Earth Prison holds dangerous criminals, and my status is rather sensitive, making it inconvenient to enter."

"Master is a high monk of Buddhism, so entering the Earth Prison should be no problem. Coincidentally, I met the Chief Envoy in the prison."

"He has been in seclusion in the Earth Prison during this time. If Master goes to the Earth Prison, you should be able to meet the Chief Envoy."

As Fang Mu spoke, Huihai's cheeks twitched, and he was inwardly alarmed.

Although he didn't know if Fang Mu was telling the truth, Huihai was most wary of the powerful Chief Envoy.

Without understanding the reality of the situation, he naturally wouldn't dare to rashly enter the Earth Prison.

"Envoy Fang, I appreciate your good intentions. The Chief Envoy is extremely busy and is currently in cultivation breakthrough. It would naturally be inconvenient for me to disturb him."

"Here are a few pills to enhance cultivation. I'll gift them to Envoy Fang, and I hope Envoy Fang can take good care of Yuan Fan."

"You are too kind, Master. Yuan Fan will stay with me during this time, and I will guarantee his safety."

"Amitabha! Thank you for your trouble, Envoy. I see that your cultivation seems to have broken through today. Please accept this pill to consolidate your cultivation."

"Thank you, Master."

Watching Huihai chant a Buddhist mantra and take his leave, Fang Mu couldn't help but sneer inwardly.

His tactic of "beating the grass to startle the snake" should have intimidated Huihai. Without investigating the truth, Huihai wouldn't dare to enter the Earth Prison.

As long as Huihai didn't enter the Earth Prison, he wouldn't risk attacking Fang Mu in the Mortal Prison. This meant Fang Mu would be safe for the time being.

Huihai's intuition and divine sense seemed to be very powerful. Even though he had tried his best to suppress his cultivation aura, Huihai had still detected his breakthrough.

Putting his thoughts aside, Fang Mu checked the memories of his clone and then left the Mortal Prison as he pondered.

His clone returned to his residence, while he left the County Office.

However, before leaving the County Office, Fang Mu crushed the pills given to him by the old schemer Huihai and left them in a hidden corner of the County Office.

Outside the County Office street, it was pitch black. The occasional roars from the distance made Fang Mu frown slightly.

Those roars and growls should be demons hidden outside the Divine Wall. It seemed that the outskirts of the city were not peaceful at night.

Fortunately, he hadn't encountered any powerful demons on his two previous trips outside the city.

Putting his thoughts aside, Fang Mu hurried home, worried about Fang Jing's safety.

As he passed through the alleyways of the slums, he suddenly sensed two hidden gazes watching him.

One of these gazes was extremely well-concealed; if Fang Mu's divine sense hadn't been so sharp, he would have surely struggled to detect it.

However, he made no move, remaining vigilant yet proceeding toward his home without betraying his awareness.

After Fang Mu departed, two figures appeared in a shadowy corner.

"Dad! Why are you suddenly interested in this kid?"

"Hmph! Don't underestimate this kid. He went from being an ordinary Demon Slayer Envoy to a High Demon Slayer Envoy, and while you played a part in that."

"But think about it, he's killed so many demons, yet hasn't died suddenly, nor are there any signs of demonic corruption in his aura."

"His cultivation has now broken through to the fifth rank of the Martial Realm. You're only at the fourth rank, so he can already pose a threat to you."

"Those who play with snakes are easily bitten by them. This kid has many secrets. Find a mission to take him out of the city."

"Dad! You mean..."